Our World
by thefaultoflegend
Summary: Rose and Tentoo try to figure out where they stand with each other after the TARDIS takes off for the last time from Bad Wolf Bay. This story picks up right after Journey's End. Filled with angst, tears, and some cute moments. Right now, there's no real plot line. It's just an exploration of their relationship in Pete's World.
1. Chapter 1

His eyes. That's the first thing I noticed. If I just stared at his eyes, it was like he was actually the Doctor and I hadn't just lost him. They squinted just like his did. I watched him so many times scrunching up his eyes as he looked at something, eventually pulling out his glasses. They would unscrunch then, like the glasses had actually helped. But they didn't. They were just for show. I watched him squint as he stared into bright lights and bright suns. This Doctor squinted now, trying to block out blowing sand and sun being reflected off water. They glowed like his did. His eyes used to light up the entire room. He would get excited about something, jumping around or bouncing on the soles of his feet, and those eyes would shine so bright that my own would have to narrow, just so I could see the beauty of him. These were the same color as his, warm milky chocolate brown. I had stared at those eyes a thousand times in a thousand ways. Before, they had always set me at ease. No matter what kind of danger we were in, all I had to do was look into his eyes and I was suddenly brave again. It was like he transferred some of his own valor into me through those eyes. Like whatever connected our eyes when he transferred the time vortex out of me was still there. They were different eyes then, but it was still the same hardware. I guess they were different eyes now, too. But how could I be sure it was the same hardware?

His hand. That's the second thing I noticed. If I just stared at his eyes and focused on the feel of his hand in mine, it was like he was actually the Doctor and I hadn't just lost him. They were coarse like his were. I had watched those hands save lives, heal the unhealable, and comfort the sad. His hands were so expert, they moved in just the right way at just the right time. He could convince a whole room to do what he said just by moving his hands around in the right way. He could move the TARDIS from one end of time to the other with one hand only, pushing all of those buttons and leavers like his life depended on it. And I guess it had a lot of the time. But, the thing that his hands were the best at was holding mine. It was the first sort of communication that passed between the two of us. He grabbed my hand it was like a promise that I wasn't alone anymore. It was a beautiful promise, one that lasted for years and lasted even after I lost him. Because I knew that no matter what, he was out there somewhere and it was quite possible that he was thinking of me. They were different hands then, but it was still the same hardware. I guess they were different hands now, too. And yet, I still couldn't believe it was the same hardware.

The wind. That's the third thing I noticed. If I just stared at his eyes and focused on the feel of his hand in mine and felt the wind on my skin…but no. The wind is what reminded me that he was gone. My doctor was gone and he wasn't coming back this time and I couldn't go to him. I was supposed to be inside the TARDIS with him, not feeling the wind that it left when it took off, never to return. I didn't like being on the receiving end of that aftermath, where I was left with a different set of eyes, and a different set of hands, and a hope that it was still the same hardware.

He left me standing there. Just like the last time. Except now, I wasn't alone. Because he was looking at me. And he was scared too, just like me. The wind whipped his hair around, his eyes squinted because of the glare from the Sun, and fear spread all across his face. I could still feel his hand gripping mine, as if it was the only thing that was still holding us up and could feel the intensity of his glare increasing as he was trying to gauge what I was feeling. We stood there together, trying to keep from falling over. Everything was all still a long blur and I didn't know how to feel. I couldn't feel. I just stood there, completely numb. Unable to even tell how he was feeling or what he was thinking. We had fought all sorts of monsters and aliens, but to be honest I had never been more scared. Loving him was the scariest thing to have ever happened to me because I knew what it felt like to lose him. It was so incredibly hard to keep going day to day. But his image in my mind kept me going, the thought that I would see him again someday pushed me further than I thought I could ever go. And now here it was. Except I never imagined it would be forever. I had wished that it could be, but I thought it impossible. I should have known better. I had my fair share of impossible things happen to me. I looked him up and down, taking him in. It was still his hair, his eyes, his ears, his face, his mouth. His hand was familiar. Touching him was familiar. And I was so confused about what just happened. Was it still him? Was it still my Doctor?

"You know, Rose Tyler," he started as we still stared at each other. "I'm him. I mean I'm me. It's not any different. I still remember everything. I remember that very first day when I grabbed your hand." He squeezed it.

"The first time you saved me," I said.

"Well…the first time you saved me." He paused, letting me take that in. Because I never thought about it like that. But I remembered that moment so vividly in my head. I would never forget the exact point in time where my life took a complete turn. And maybe that's what it was like for him, too. "I remember all of the battles. All of the good times we had. How awful I felt when we were away from each other. How wonderful it felt to be with you again. It's still me."

I knew that he was right. That it was him that I did all of that stuff with. He was exactly the same except for the one thing that made it easier to be with him, and I felt that single pulse coming through where our fingers were intertwined. His hand felt so familiar still. He had grabbed my hand hundreds of times exactly like this. But I couldn't help but wonder about the other Doctor. The one with two hearts beating still. The one who would never be able to share the memories that I'll have with my Doctor. "What about him?"

"Rose, I still have his mind so I know what he'll think. And he'd be so happy that you are here with a version of him. He'll always be heartbroken that he couldn't spend forever with you. He'll always be a little sad. But you gave him- you gave me- some of the best moments of my life. And he would want you to extend all of those happy moments. And I want to, if you want to. Because I do, Rose. I love you. Always have, always will. And he loves you. Which is why he did this. He wanted to give you a chance at a life you deserve."

He grabbed my other hand then so we were facing each other but it was too much and I let go, taking a step back. I could feel the tears finally starting to fill my eyes as I started to feel again. I replayed that moment over and over in my head. How he just walked away, back to his TARDIS, right after watching me kiss another guy. Well it was him. But it wasn't. He wasn't the one who felt that. I felt so bad. Like I shouldn't have done it. How could I just let him walk away like that when I loved him so much? This Doctor just stood on the beach, staring at me. Being incredibly patient while I tried to work the whole situation out. And I felt bad for him, too. Because he was still the Doctor, too. And I wasn't ready to just jump in his arms and ride off into the moonlight. He didn't deserve my hesitation. My Time Lord Doctor didn't deserve to watch that kiss. But I suppose, in the end, none of us really deserved what we were given.

"You need time," the Doctor said after a few minutes. I was crying really hard because there was too much going on in my head. I couldn't handle it. It felt like I had the time vortex back in there, swirling around and trying to kill me.

"Did you know? Did you know that he was going to leave us here?"

"Rose, please," he said and ran a hand through his hair.

"Did you know?!" I screamed because I really needed to know.

"Yes," he started, stepping a bit closer. "I knew. I mean he didn't say anything. But I knew." He dropped his head and he actually seemed upset about it. Like telling me was hard.

"Then why didn't you tell me? You could have at least said something! Were you two even thinking?! We could have had a chance to talk! I could have said goodbye!" When I said it I realized that that was what was actually bothering me in that moment. That I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. I spent two years waiting to say hello. And a few hours later, it was all over.

"Of course we were thinking, Rose," he said much more calmly. His face was tense but his voice was soft and it was exactly the opposite from my heavy breathing and the tears that were still running down my cheeks. "We were thinking about you. I don't think you understand what this means. We love you so much Rose. So much that we needed to set you free. By staying here with me, you could live a life that you've always wanted. That he's always wanted. That I've always wanted. The Doctor and Rose. We have that opportunity now. I would have done the same thing."

"The same thing? You mean you would have left me too?"

"No, Rose. I would have given you your best shot. A life with me. I wouldn't have it any other way. We don't have to watch you grow old and die without us doing it with you and you don't have to be in danger all the time. We never wanted to hurt you again. Never. But there was no other way to do this. Think about it. We can live our life and he will be sad, Rose. I know he will. But he has Donna. He has a friend. He has all these amazing memories of the two of you that he'll cherish. The same ones that I have and that I'll cherish. Rose, please. Look at this as an ending, yes. I'm so sorry that you lost him again but he's still standing right here. And he wants a life with you. Please look at it as a beginning, too." He held his hands out like he was really trying to reason with me and I understood a little bit better now.

"Too," I said, "The word that keeps popping up."

"Yes, but it's not sinister this time. It's not like Bad Wolf. He's the Doctor. But I'm the Doctor, too. You had a life with him. But you have one with me, too. You love me. And I love you, too. Rose Tyler. It'll take time, but we can still do this."

"I'm sorry. You don't deserve this. I should just be with you but I can't be. I can't. I'm sorry."

"Rose."

"I just don't know what to do."

"Rose."

"I'm sorry."

"Rose." He closed the distance between us and hugged me. It felt like every other time we had done it before. It was exactly the same. So why did I feel so guilty? "It's okay. Shh…we're going to be okay." He stroked my hair while I cried into his shoulder. And as the moments passed guilt started to fade away and I hugged him back. I guess I realized that it could be possible for this to work. That with time, I would be able to be completely and totally his and not have my heart split in two. Because being with him was what I had been searching for for three years, and now right here it was. On the place where I said goodbye. On the place where I first told him I loved him. He held me for a few minutes before we started walking back toward Mum and off of Bad Wolf Bay. And just like the last time I left this place, I knew that my life had once again changed in a big way.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hi. Author's Note: I added about 700 words to the first chapter. It's nothing too important, but if you want to go back and reread it that'd be great! It might take a while for the next chapter, but I promise it'll come!_

* * *

We were walking for about ten minutes when the Doctor stopped abruptly and stood behind us. We hadn't been talking at all. I think he realized that I just needed a few minutes to think. I was coming closer and closer to the realization that this really was him. This really was my Doctor. Everything I remembered when I was with him, he remembered too. He had all the same emotions and feelings. He had the same walk and the same gesture he used to run his hands through his hair, which made it stand up even more. The more he was thinking, the higher his hair would get but it was something I loved about him. And I saw it when we were talking on Bad Wolf Bay. I knew it would take a lot of time, though. And I didn't know if he could be that patient. When we left, Mum hugged both of us, not saying anything except, "You two are going to be absolutely fantastic." Which made the Doctor and I smile, as we both remembered his final words before he regenerated into this version of himself.

Now here we were, stopped along the side of a dirty back road. It was cold out and I was trying really hard to keep my jacket wrapped around me. The wind kept breaking through though, and it wasn't long before we were all absolutely freezing. "Are you okay?" I asked the Doctor now as I turned around to face him. Mum stopped too and turned around with an annoyed expression on her face. I think she was ready to get out of the cold.

"How…" he started as he panted. We had only been walking a short while and he was already out of breath. "How do you humans do this?" He bent over and put his hands on his knees. "One heart can barely do anything. And it is bloody cold out here." I had to smile at this and laugh a little. It was funny to see someone who I looked at as being so strong being defeated by a little bit of cold and a walk. "Was that a smile, Rose Tyler?" he said as he lifted his gaze to meet mine and cracked a smile of his own.

I immediately tried to get back to a straight face. "No," I said, but it wasn't at all convincing.

"I think it was. I think you smiled."

"No I didn't." I let out a smaller one now, but I couldn't help myself. It felt just like old times. This is what happened when he regenerated and I realized that this was the same exact thing. It was just like a new regeneration and I was just going to have to learn how to trust him again.

"Ah! There it is again. That smile, Rose Tyler. I've waited years to see that smile." He stood tall now, with his hands in his pockets and his Converse rocking back and forth across the road. I gave him a real smile then, and he smiled right back.

"Oi! Are you two going to keep flirting or are we going to actually try to get out of this cold?" That was Mum. And it was in that moment that I realized that she and the Doctor were really stuck with each other whether they liked it or not.

"Sorry," said the Doctor as he walked past me, over to her, and linked his arm through hers. "Just having some hearts…well heart…problems. Rose?" He held out his other arm for me to take and I did. And as we strolled down that road again, everything calm and nobody in any kind of danger, it almost felt normal.

* * *

We hitchhiked the rest of the way into town and got a hotel with two conjoined rooms when we got there. Mum called Dad and he and Tony were going to come out the next day and pick all of us up. I was changing into pajamas in mine and Mum's room when I looked through the door to the Doctor's room and saw him pacing back and forth, the whole length of his room. I walked over. "Hey," I said and leaned against the doorjamb.

"Hey," he said and kept pacing.

"What're you doing?"

"I'm pacing."

"No, really," I said sarcastically and he shot me a look that said shut up, but in the way he does it when he's trying to flirt with me.

"Okay. So I'm pacing and thinking."

"About."

"Well it just sort of hit me that I only have about seventy years of life left. Like there's no more unlimited time for me and there's so much I want to do. So much. And it all seems a little bit overwhelming and scary but also really exciting and adventurous at the same time. Like there's actually a possibility that I won't be able to do everything. I never thought like that before. And we don't have a TARDIS right now so traveling is going to be out of the question for a little bit but I mean we could always fly, I guess. Like in a plane? I'm not even sure if I know how to get on a plane. How do I get on a plane, Rose? And then once I get to the place I want to go, what if I don't like it? Do I just leave? I can't just hop in the TARDIS and take off. Do I have to buy another plane ticket? Or a train? Oh… a train! Yes! We should take a train. Like the Hogwarts Express. We should take the Hogwarts Express and travel everywhere. Well everywhere on Earth that is, because like I said, we don't have a TARDIS. But we will. And when we do, look out because here comes the Doctor and Rose. The stuff of legend, reunited! Except this time I can't ever die. Like not for a long time at least because I can't regenerate and I want to spend as much time as I can with you. We can go to all sorts of places! And you know more about this universe than I do! Can you imagine? You teaching me about a planet and not the other way around? Well that would certainly be an adventure. Maybe there's a species somewhere out there that I don't even know about. Maybe no Daleks exist here. Ha! Rose! A universe without Daleks? I don't even know if that's possible. The Daleks, always coming back. And yeah I want to go on all of these adventures but I want to do other stuff too. I could live in a house. Like an actual house with a picket fence and a wraparound porch and a little garden in the back and a swimming pool! A swimming pool that you wouldn't have to go looking for every time you want to go for a swim! It's just right there! In your backyard! I could jump from the balcony of our bedroom and into that swimming pool…"

He kept going and going, talking wildly with his hands and pushing his hair as high as I'd ever seen it. He probably didn't even realize he just used the phrase "our room." Eventually I walked over to him and stopped him by putting my hands on either side of his head and making him look at me. "Is someone having a little bit of trouble having a Time Lord brain in a human body?"

"Maybe," he said from between my hands. And then he smiled. "I feel weird."

"You are weird." He smiled again.

"No, I mean like I need to sit down and stay still for a bit. I don't know why. We didn't even do anything today."

"That's called being tired. Very human. You'll get used to it." I smiled at the fact that he was created, committed genocide, and saved the world and "we didn't even do anything today." He sat down on the bed but I stayed standing beside him. "I think you just need some sleep. Calm that racing mind of yours."

"Yeah, I think you're right." I stood there in front of him not really knowing what to do next because this was still really new. Even though I spent years with him, it was never like this. I mean, I did just make out with him for the first time on a beach a few hours earlier. So how did we say goodnight? And I wasn't exactly ready for all of that physical stuff yet. We still had a lot to figure out. I wasn't even sure I could be with him. "Well… I'm going to go over and…"

"Yeah, yeah of course." I started to walk back into my room but he stood up and came closer, pulling me into a hug. "Goodnight, Rose Tyler," he whispered into my ear.

"Goodnight, Doctor," I whispered back. I fell asleep while still picturing his arms around me and wishing that it wasn't so complicated. I replayed the other Doctor leaving, how I just let him walk right out of my life. I made the decision. If I hadn't kissed this Doctor, it could be different. Or maybe it was always supposed to end up like this. I know that my Doctor didn't believe in fate or destiny. But I did. And I think that I had every right to. We had been pulled apart and brought together so many times at exactly the right moment. There had to be something controlling it. I decided that night that I was exactly where I was supposed to be, lying in my bed, thoughts swirling around my head and a half-stranger half-friend lying in the other room.

I woke up a few hours later screaming. It wasn't unusual. I did it a lot ever since the Doctor left. I'd have dreams about Daleks and Cybermen and voids and death. Me dying. Him dying. Everyone dying. I'd always wake up in a cold sweat. Sometimes I'd be crying, sometimes I'd be shaking, but I always woke up screaming. This one was particularly bad where I lost the Doctor. This Doctor, my doctor. And I was under the impression that I didn't have to worry about that anymore.

"Rose. Rose. Hey, it's okay. You're okay." He was there even before Mum could lift her head from her pillow. I suspected that he had already been awake. He had come to the rescue a lot on the TARDIS when I had bad dreams, and it felt amazing to have him there again when my terror struck in the middle of the night, even if it wasn't exactly him.

"Rose? You okay?" mumbled Mum, as she dug herself out from underneath her covers.

"I think she's okay," said the Doctor as he ran his hand across my back, trying to comfort me. "Go back to sleep, Jackie. I got this one." I don't even know if she heard him. She just lay back down and was snoring the next second. "So, Rose Tyler, are you okay?" he whispered to me. I nodded, still a little shell shock. He looked over at Mum and then back at me. "C'mere." He grabbed my hand and led me into his room. I sat down on the edge of the bed and he went to the other side, laying down and waiting for me down beside him. We both lay down on our backs, his hands propped behind his head as if we were star gazing. "So, do you want to tell me what that was about?"

"It was just a nightmare," I stated, still staring up at that ceiling, glad that he was beside me and not gone. I could feel the weight of the bed shifting with every breath he took. And it was nice to know that for the first time in a long time, I wasn't alone. He looked over at me waiting for me to elaborate. Gosh, I missed him. "I'm fine, I swear." I smiled at him and he rolled over on his side, head propped up. He just looked at me, that doubting look on his face. "Okay, fine. I had a dream that we were together again, on the TARDIS, and we were fighting Daleks but one shot you, like it did when we were on the street. But this time, you couldn't regenerate. And you died. You couldn't come back. You left me there by myself, the only companion a TARDIS that I didn't know how to fly."

"I don't even know how to fly that thing," he said and I rolled over on my side too, facing him. We smiled at each other. "And I am making you a promise right now that we're not doing anything nearly as dangerous as we used to. It's too risky. I can't lose you again, Rose Tyler." He took a piece of hair and tucked it behind my ear.

"I'm sorry that I kind of freaked out earlier."

"It's okay," he started. "I think freaking out is kind of to be expected. We're in a weird situation." I nodded and he reached out an arm and wrapped it around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

"Wait," I said and he stopped.

"I'm sorry," he stated with his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. I started to back away to my side of the bed.

"No. Don't be sorry. It's just that…" Just that what? You aren't you? I don't know you? No. Because he was him and I did know him. I was just scared. He had gotten close to me before and then left so who was to say he wasn't going to do it again. "I just need a little time." I finished and he nodded.

"I know it's going to be hard," he said, looking a little bit hurt. But, I still think we can do it. It's going to take some time, but I'd wait an eternity for you if I had to." He put his face closer to mine has he said the last few words and then pulled back a little bit. We both lay down completely, still facing each other.

"We have so much we need to figure out. It feels a bit overwhelming. Like we've fought all kinds of aliens together but…"

"This is a very different kind of adventure," he cut in. I nodded and he continued. "Let's save all of that stuff for tomorrow, okay? I haven't seen you in a long time Rose Tyler. It seems as if we have a bit of catching up to do."

So we lay there like that and talked for over two hours. He told me about Martha and Donna and how he met them. He told me about a few of the adventures he had with them, saving the world with someone else. I wasn't jealous. I was just glad that he had someone to keep him company, someone to stop him from doing something crazy. He reached over and grabbed my hand at one point, lacing his fingers in mine. And there it was again, that promise that I wasn't alone, that he was going through this too and we were in it together. I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, I thought as I slowly drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Dad came the next day and picked us up. When I woke up that morning, the Doctor was already awake, but still holding my hand. I never knew that it would feel that amazing to wake up next to him, and I never thought that feeling would change so quickly. I know I'm being descriptive about those first hours after the Doctor left but they were incredibly important for us. As he started to try to get closer, I pulled away, afraid that he would just up and leave again. I felt bad about it of course, but I couldn't have my heart broken again.

We flew home, and by that time I was exhausted. I hadn't really slept the night before and I was just ready to get into my own bed and crash. I took the Doctor with me, to my place. It was the best thing to do, as we had to start getting used to each other again. I unlocked the door when we got there while he stood and fidgeted at my side. He was definitely nervous, and I wasn't really sure why.

"What's wrong?" I asked before I opened the door. He ran a hand through his hair and took a breath to speak, but changed his mind and instead ran a hand over his tired face. I could tell he didn't sleep much that first night either, and he would be needing a lot more sleep now that he was half-human. He was stalling, not giving me any answers, his eyes looking everywhere except my face. "You know," I said now, "if we're going to move forward you're going to have to start being honest with me." It didn't feel the same after we left the hotel. It felt awkward and strange being next to him. I didn't know what to say, how to act, what to do. Everything the day before had been in the moment, stuff we did and said because we were in a haze of post-war and shock. Now that we were back to what I was familiar with, it hit me that this was going to be a whole lot of work, that I wasn't ready to actually start a relationship with him. And it was something I didn't know how to say. And apparently, from the way he was acting, he didn't know how to say something as well.

"I'm sorry," he started, still not making eye contact. "It's just funny. Very domestic." He looked at me now and I caught a moment of fear, like he was ready to make a run for it at any second. And really, I didn't blame him. I still feared that he would leave me again. It wouldn't be the first time. Or the second. And he had good reason. How could the most amazing man in the universe go from traveling all of space and time to working a nine to five and coming home to an actual flat? I knew it wouldn't take long before he started to get restless.

"I guess you're going to just have to get used to it." I sighed and pushed the door open.

"Yeah," I heard him say behind me and I could hear the sadness in his voice. He followed me inside and we both stood there awkwardly in the hallway, just staring at each other.

"If I'm being honest," I said, "I really just want to go to bed right now."

"Yeah, I agree. Bed sounds good." I told him to follow me and I showed him to the spare room. It was still a good sized room, right next to mine. I had a bed in there with two side tables and a wardrobe. It was nothing fancy, just like the rest of my flat. I didn't have much time to decorate after he left me here. I then took him to the bathroom so that he could get cleaned up.

"You're going to have to use girl soap until we can get out and buy you something else. Towels are in the cupboard there. Just make yourself at home. If you're hungry, there's some food in the freezer you could heat up. If you don't find anything you like there's money in the cookie jar on the counter and a diner just around the block. Take as much as you need." I handed him the duffel bag I was carrying. "Dad put some clothes together for you. Just some pajamas and an outfit for tomorrow. We can go shopping in the afternoon and get some stuff." I paused and he just stood there, staring at the duffel bag. To be honest it almost looked like he was going to cry and I had never heard him so quiet in my entire life. Even when he was in a room alone he was always talking to himself, nonsensical ramblings that I could never understand. I didn't know how to help him at that moment. Half of me wanted to walk over and hug him and the other half just wanted to run in the opposite direction, go to my room, and cry. I opted for the middle. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm always okay, Rose Tyler." He met my eyes for another brief moment before he turned around to face the mirror and I walked out and shut the door.

I didn't talk to him for the rest of the night. I went straight to my bed, pulling my pajamas on, not waiting for him to get out of the shower so that I could take one, too. I cried. Harder than I had ever before. Even harder than after he left me on Bad Wolf Bay the first time. It was one thing to be so distant from someone when they were an entire universe away. It was another to be that distant when they were just down the hall from you.

About an hour after I heard him leave the shower and walk to his room, I went out and leaned my ear against his bedroom door. And what I heard shook me to my core. Soft sobs were leaking out among the cracks of the barrier that currently kept us from each other. I never saw or heard him crying before. I didn't know if it was because he was half-human now or if he was just having a really, really hard time. All I knew was that from the time we left the hotel up until now, he wasn't my Doctor, the one that I loved. But then again, maybe I wasn't exactly his Rose either. The one he loved. I changed a lot over the years and it was possible that I wasn't the same person he had once had all of those amazing moments with.

I fell asleep sitting against his door and crying. I woke up to the rising Sun coming in through the window to my own bedroom, knowing that he had carried me there, the stranger in the other room.


	4. Chapter 4

When I went out into the kitchen the next morning, he was already there, making eggs and toast. He looked a little bit better than he had yesterday, his eyes shining just a bit brighter. I was sure that I looked like hell, as I had barely slept once again. It felt like I hadn't gotten a good night's sleep ever since the Doctor left me on Bad Wolf Bay the first time. And just once I would like to sleep through the night without any nightmares or racing thoughts, without waking up screaming and covered in sweat. I had to wonder if that's how he felt all the time. He lost so many people, lost them constantly. When he did sleep was it broken and restless? Did he have the same nightmares I had, ones about loss and death and defeat? Looking at him now, standing over the stove with his head bent, concentrating hard, I thought that he had. That he would know exactly how I was feeling. And even if I felt like I was unable to talk to him about it, at least I wasn't alone.

"Good morning," I said and went to pour myself some of the tea that he had set out on the table. He had on a pair of Dad's old jeans and a gray tee shirt. The jeans were too big and hung kind of low on his narrow hips but they still looked good paired with his Converse. I realized that I had never actually seen him out of his pinstripes during the day. And even catching him in pajamas was rare. It reminded me of when he last regenerated and he basically spent all day in pajamas.

"Good morning," he replied and set a plate down in front of me where I was sitting at the table. It was eggs with a little bit of cheese and toast with peach jam. My favorite. I thanked him and genuinely meant it. I could see that he was really trying. He sat down across from me with his own plate.

"You didn't have to cook," I said, and wondered where he got the food because I was pretty sure that I cleared out all the food before I left. But I didn't question it and just ate it up anyway. I had missed his cooking. I used to sit propped up on the counter beside the stove while he did his little dance around the kitchen grabbing stuff, as if it were the center console of the TARDIS. And he was good at it, too. We would trade stories back and forth and just joked around while he stirred spaghetti sauce or created some new fancy dish that he wanted to experiment with. But his eggs were always my favorite.

"I just wanted to thank you for giving me a place to stay and for everything that we're going to get today. I want you to know that I'll pay you back someday, as soon as I get a job and get on my feet. And if you don't want me living here, I can get my own place."

"Why wouldn't I want you living here?" I said, stopping my fork half way to my mouth.

"I just thought… the way you've been acting…" he was stammering over his words, and it made me feel so uncomfortable that I had caught him so many times over the past few days not being himself. Or not being what I knew him to be.

"You know what I said yesterday about being honest?" I said, setting my fork down now and pushing my plate away. He mimicked me and my heart raced thinking about the conversation we were about to have.

"I realize that this was just thrown on you, Rose. I know that you didn't really have a choice in the matter. I'm just saying that you don't have to take care of me if you don't want to. I don't want to be a burden on you…"

"So you're saying you don't want to stay," I cut in, unsure of where he was going with this.

"No. That is not what I'm saying at all."

"Well you really didn't have any choice in the matter either, right?" I raised my voice a bit. And I could tell that it set him back a little. I knew that he could walk out at any time but I didn't actually want him to. Even if things were going to be complicated for a while, I wanted this. All of it. My decision or not, I would have chosen for one of them to stay.

"Rose," he started running his hands through his hair. "No, I suppose I didn't have a choice. But that doesn't mean…"

"Forget it." I stood up and started stalking out of the room. "If you want to leave, then I'll find you another place. I'll get you a job at Torchwood, you'll be set. You don't have to be dependent on anybody. You can just do your own thing, just like the last thousand years."

I started walking out, but he grabbed my arm and turned me around, so that I had no choice but to look at him. "Is that what you really think? That I just want to be alone, like always?" No matter how mad I was at that moment, the hurt in his eyes absolutely killed me. And I knew that it was my fault that I put it there.

"Isn't that what you always want?" He grabbed both of my hands, looking into my eyes and it was quite possibly the most intimate moment we've ever had, even after that kiss on Bad Wolf Bay and sleeping together that night. Because I knew he was about to spill his heart, and the Doctor telling me his feelings wasn't a normal thing. He kept to himself, not saying when he was hurt, upset, or scared.

"When you left me at Canary Wharf I was absolutely devastated. I spent hours and hours trying to find a way to say goodbye to you. And when I finally did, it hurt even worse. Because I thought that was it, that it was all over. And it almost killed me. Literally, that very same day, I almost died because I lost you and I had no one to stop me and dying in that moment didn't really seem to matter to me because you weren't with me anymore. So I spent years missing you. Years, Rose. So much longer than just what you went through so I know how badly it hurt, trust me. And when I saw you, before that Dalek shot me, it was the single best moment of my entire life. And then I'm given this amazing opportunity to spend the rest of my life with you. And Rose Tyler, I would never ever want to give that up." He joined our hands in between us and squeezed mine, waiting patiently for my reply.

"I did have a choice you know," I whispered as I looked down at our conjoined hands and tried to pull away, but he held on tight. "I kissed you. That's why he left, because I chose you. I wasn't even thinking. He would still be here if I hadn't kissed you."

I looked up into his eyes and they looked so hurt. I knew that I hit a nerve and I immediately wanted to take back what I said. But I couldn't, because it was the truth, or at least I thought so. "He still would have left," he said, now dropping my hands and backing away. "It was always going to be like this, you and me. I'm sorry but nothing you could have done would have changed that." He ran his hands through his hair, pacing back and forth in the kitchen and spinning around in circles and I thought for sure that we were at a standstill. I couldn't see any way out of this. What could either one of us possibly say to keep us going? We were both so frustrated and hurt and angry. We were angry at the world, angry at our situation, and in that moment, angry at each other. I thought it was over. Until he smiled. It was a smile that lit up his whole face and his eyes were on fire. He smiled so brightly that no matter how angry or upset I was in the moment, I couldn't help but smile, too.

"What?" I said and he laughed a little, his face brightening even more. "Why are you smiling?" I couldn't help but laugh a little bit, too.

"We're going to be okay," he stated simply, and jumped up to sit on the counter behind him, still grinning at me.

"And how do you know that?" I asked as I crossed my arms and leaned against the fridge.

"Remember that time we almost got sucked into that black hole? Or that time you lost your face for a few hours? Or that time we almost got eaten by werewolves? Or all of those times we almost died on account of the Daleks?" He was kicking his legs like a little kid, still grinning and ticking off on his hands all the times we almost lost our lives. "And we were okay. Every single time. And we'll be okay now. We just have to beat the monsters first."

I smiled even bigger now, knowing that he was absolutely right. "So you don't want to leave?" I said, knowing now that the answer would be no.

"Of course not," he said and I could tell that he really meant it.

"I don't want you to leave either. I just need a little bit more time to think about all of this. I'm sorry if I haven't been the Rose Tyler that I was four years ago. A lot has changed since then." He didn't say anything so I started back toward my room. "I'm going to go get my wallet then we can go shopping." I walked away knowing that we just crossed a major hurdle and took a sigh of relief.

"Hey, Rose?" he called out just before I went into my room.

"Yeah?" I called back.

"I think that this Rose Tyler is even better." I couldn't help but smile.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I figured I should put a disclaimer on here because I keep forgetting to do so. This goes for these five chapters and any chapter in the future. I do not own Doctor Who or these characters. Also, I'm American and have some trouble getting words right when they differ between countries. If you see any mistakes, let me know and I'll fix them. Thanks for reviewing and reading! -thefaultoflegend

I quickly came to the realization that shopping with the Doctor was exactly like bringing Tony along. First, he stopped and talked to everybody that we passed. I couldn't get down a single aisle without him chatting it up with the person who was stocking the shelves or a woman who was just trying to buy peanut butter. Second, he wanted everything. As soon as we got there he started throwing one of everything into the cart, where I would pick it up and put it back on the shelf. I made a mental note to be careful around the junk food aisle. Who knows what he could get himself into there. We made it to aisle five when he finally started to calm down a bit. He was pushing the buggy as I was glancing over prices for macaroni noodles.

After our little tiff, things seemed to be okay. We left the house and got here with little conversation. I hoped that it would get easier with time. I just desperately wanted us to get back to the way that things were when we used to travel together. But I could constantly feel the barrier between us and I knew that it would take many more conversations to break it down. Small talk, however, was something I could handle for now.

"So," he started, while he pushed the buggy back and forth and watched the wheels turn. "You never really told me what you did for Torchwood." I put some food in the buggy and kept walking down the aisle. He followed.

"What do you mean?" I asked as I watched him inspect the thickness of the metal bars of the buggy.

"I mean, what have you been doing for the past four years? I know that you didn't just sit around, not Rose Tyler." He bent down and touched a wheel.

"First of all, if you're thinking about taking that buggy apart you can forget it." He stood up, giving me a smile, and I knew that's exactly what he was thinking. "Second of all, I just did some work for them. That's all. And it's only been three years."

"No. I don't think that was it. In fact, I think you're somewhat of a hotshot at Torchwood, that you have a lot of people under you." He smiled, pleased with himself, as if he just figured out everything about my life here.

"And why would you say that?"

"Well, for one, it's a weekday. So you should be at work but you're here with me, about to spend a lot of money on my clothes and other necessities. And two, your flat doesn't exactly scream 'yeah, I just do some odd jobs for the alien fighting company.' It's really nice. And I know that Rose Tyler isn't the type of person who would sit around for three years and wait for life to happen to her. You're up there in the world. Head of a department, maybe?"

"Well, okay then, Sherlock." He grinned at me. "I went to classes at Torchwood and got on an accelerated path. I have degrees in physics and engineering. I did a lot of field work. I was just a team member at first, taking orders from superiors but they didn't know anything and I saved their lives more than once. So they upgraded me to the special teams supervisor. I oversee all of the field work and work a lot with the translation and alien debris departments. When I started working on the dimension cannon, I took over the engineering department, too. They said they had no clue how I could know so much. I told them I had a good teacher." I could feel him stop on the spot behind me. I knew that he knew I was doing a lot with my life once he left, but I don't think he knew the extent.

"Seriously?" he asked, shock written all over his face. I went over and grabbed the cart from him. He strode alongside me, his hands behind his back and his eyes up, ready to listen.

"Well, at first I was just trying to figure out a way to get back to you. Then we ran into some attacks and I had a lot of first- hand experience with aliens so I kind of took charge of it all. We had a lot of confrontation with different colonies. Not really wars, just a lot of discussion and reconciliation. Which wasn't easy, by the way, when you don't have a TARDIS to translate everything. But I figured it out. Eventually, I knew how to get to you; I just needed to figure out how to build the dimension cannon. By that time, I was running a lot of different things. And the stars started to go out so I had to work a lot faster on the cannon. And I really should be at work today but they weren't exactly expecting me back. I kind of planned on staying. And we both know how that worked out." He nodded his head and we walked in silence for a few minutes. "But I guess now I could go back at continue my schooling. Who knows? Maybe I could be a doctor someday.

"Can I say that I am severely impressed," he said and smiled over at me.

"Really?"

"Yes! Rose Tyler, defender of the Earth. Living up to her name. You did so well here. Better than I ever even dreamed. And you're going to be a Doctor, too? I don't know how well that would work out, two Doctors in the same household. It might even get a bit mad. Our conversations are about to get so much better with both of our superior knowledge." I smirked at him and he bumped my shoulder with his. I could feel us settling into a rhythm. It started to become easy to just talk and hang out, like old times. We walked a bit further and when I went down the junk food aisle he didn't even try to grab anything. That's how I could tell that he was lost in thought. "So you miss it then?" he asked.

"Miss what?"

"Traveling." I knew I needed to tread with this one lightly. Because I did miss it. Quite a lot actually but I didn't want him to think that it would affect us here, that not being able to travel for a while would make it any different.

"Of course I miss it. I loved it. But that doesn't mean I don't like this, too. Because I do." And if I missed it I could only imagine how he was feeling about it. "I bet you miss it, too. I mean how could you go from spending over nine hundred years traveling all of time and space, to being stuck in London in a different dimension?"

He thought about it for a moment as well as we started toward the front of the store. Before we got there he jumped in front of the cart and held it still, facing me. "Because of you, Rose Tyler. Because doing anything with you is always what I love." I wanted to kiss him and I wondered if he was feeling that same pull. As the hours and minutes passed, he became more and more like my Doctor. It kind of scared me a little bit because I didn't want to forget the other one and I could feel it happening. I knew I would have to pull back a little bit from this Doctor, as to not forget where he came from. I smiled back and we went on our way.

We went clothes shopping for the Doctor and I actually convinced him to get some jeans, tee shirts, and hoodies, stuff that he could be comfortable in. He wasn't so sure, but I knew that he would eventually come around and try it out. I also convinced him to buy a new pair of Chucks to wear to work. I got him a cell phone and programmed mine, Mom's, Dad's, and Torchwood's numbers into it. At first he argued about it but gave in when I told him it was so we could talk when we weren't together. He thanked me about a hundred times that day. Everything went pretty well and we avoided any more serious conversations.

On the drive home, we chatted about how the stars were so different here and how he would have to learn new names and locations of everything. I joked that for once in our lives I would have to teach him about the stars. When we got back to the house and unloaded everything, we went out into the backyard and lay on a blanket in the grass. I started pointing up at the sky trying to orient myself in the right way. Most of the stars from home were still there, they were just maybe off a little bit. I named a few until he got his bearings as well. He started pointing and telling me stories about the times he visited them. We both knew that they weren't the same as home, but this Earth wasn't too far off from that one, so the stars shouldn't be either. Lying with him there, I forgot for a little bit that he was any different and the thought that I was where I was supposed to be rang even truer.

That night we both went to our separate bedrooms, exchanging an awkward goodbye. I lay in my bed for about an hour before I went out into the hallway and fell asleep against his door again. I woke up in my bed.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hi, everyone! Thanks to those of you who have reviewed, followed, and favorited so far. It really means a lot! If you like this story and are a Sherlock fan, you should check out my other fic, **_**How to Apologize to Molly. **_**I also have a few one shots, a few Sherlock and one Doctor Who, if you want to read those. I hope you like this chapter! Thanks for reading!—thefaultoflegend**

* * *

The next day I had to go to work and get my job sorted out. I woke and looked at the mirror that hung above my dresser. My eyes were red and puffy, my hair a total mess. I got up and grabbed some clothes, hoping to avoid the Doctor on my way to the bathroom. I listened at my door before I walked out. I could hear him humming happily in the kitchen, a few banging sounds coming from the pots and pans. I made it to the bathroom without him hearing me. I let the hot water run over me in the shower and thought about everything that happened so far. It had only been two days, but it felt like an eternity since I'd seen the other Doctor. I reminded myself that he was going to be okay. He would be hurt for a little bit, but he had Donna. And they were best friends; he would be just fine with her. I couldn't worry about him anymore. I had my own Doctor to take care of. I knew Dad planned on giving him a job, I'm sure he would be heading missions and departments within a week. He'd probably be my boss pretty soon. But him working with me and living with me, it didn't exactly match up with the 'I need to keep my distance' plan. Yesterday was actually a little bit enjoyable, and I felt that pull towards him that I felt toward the other Doctor. But, maybe just maybe, he was right. Maybe all it took was beating the monsters. Maybe it could even be close to the way it was before. I could still hear him whistling and humming, even over the water running. It warmed my heart a little bit to hear him acting so normal. I jumped out of the shower, pulled on blue pants and a blue shirt, and went out to the kitchen to see the Doctor. He made breakfast again, French toast with bacon.

"Good morning," he smiled as he turned around with two plates and set them down at either end of the table.

"Good morning," I smiled back and sat down across from him. Sitting in the middle of the table was a vase of roses. I felt myself smile at the small gesture. I had a feeling that today was going to be a good day. "Where did you get these?" I asked as I leaned over to smell them. They were really pretty and looked great in my bare kitchen. They made the place look homier. This place had never really felt like home. The only time I had felt at home within the past three years was that short trip in the TARDIS, and this made me get a little closer to that feeling.

"Oh, you know…" he waved his hand, shooing away the question, and took a bite of French toast, smiling at me.

"I don't think I do," I said back and cut into the toast. It was really good and I could tell he worked hard to get it perfect. I peered back at him over the flowers, giving him a small smile.

"So it seems as if I have two options right now," he started. "I could either give you a really long explanation of how I got the flowers without any money or anything to my name really, or I could leave you curious for the rest of the day, which I would love, by the way, and you could just accept the fact that I am amazing and we could move on." He flashed me one of those million dollar smiles of his and rested his head in his hand. I met his gaze, staring back for a few seconds before rolling my eyes. He laughed and went back to eating.

"Fine," I said, "But just know," he looked back at me, probably expecting some smart remark or a comment about his self-centeredness, but that wasn't it this time. "Just know that I could get used to this." In that moment, I thought that his smile was worth everything that I had been through in the past couple of days.

"Yeah?" he asked, hope in his eyes.

"Yeah," I confirmed and he nodded back.

We finished up breakfast and I went to put my shoes on and get my bag. I told him he had to stay here, just until I got everything sorted out at Torchwood for him.

"But, Rose," he whined and stomped up to the front door, leaning his back against it. "What am I going to do all day?" He started pouting and crossed his arms across his chest.

"You will be fine," I said as I reached for the handle but he pushed the door shut again.

"I brought you flowers and everything. And now you're going to leave me here. Alone."

I laughed at stood in front of him. "Tell you what, there's a set of tools under the sink. You have my permission to take apart the toaster, but the toaster only. Got it?" He smiled and opened the door for me. "And keep your cell phone on. I'll call you and we can meet for lunch."

"Goodbye, Rose Tyler," he smiled and I walked out the door, unlocking my car.

"Goodbye, Doctor."

* * *

When I walked in to work that morning, I got more than a couple of stares. Most people weren't expecting me to be back. They all knew that I was leaving to find the Doctor and that once I had, I was staying. This was going to be fun to explain. "Oh yeah I was going to stay with the Doctor but he left me with a clone of himself on the same bloody beach where he left me the first time. Don't worry; you'll get to meet him soon. Oh and he's only half alien now. My Doctor that is, not the other one." _My Doctor. _When did that happen? I brushed the thought off, hoping that Dad would have come up with some sort of explanation. I got up to the top floor where my office was. My office was one of the few places I found refuge after the Doctor left me on the beach the first time. I could see out across the whole city and the zeppelins that flew along the skyline didn't seem very far away at all. Plus, my entire office was made of windows and I was closer to the stars up there. When I would stay late to work on the dimension cannon, I would sit with my face pressed up against the side window-wall, staring up at the sky and wondering if he was out there somewhere.

I put my forehead against the window now looking up at the clouds and out across the zeppelins. My thoughts started to drift to what my Doctor was doing when my phone buzzed in my pocket. His named flashed up on the screen along with a text notification. I couldn't help but smile at his timing. _Hey. Did you make it okay? _it read and I suddenly felt butterflies twirling around in my stomach at the thought that he was thinking about me, too.

_Yes, sir. You're not getting into any trouble, are you? _I typed back and hit send. I heard a knock at my door then and turned around to see Dad standing in the threshold. "Hey," I said and went to give him a hug. "How are things going?"

"They're going good," he replied and went to sit in my chair, his feet propped up on my desk. "I'm glad to see that you're a lot happier today." He smiled and put his hands behind his head as if he was in on a joke. "You and the Doctor getting along okay?"

I blushed a little and went to swat his legs off the desk. He set them down and stood up, still smiling away. "Yeah we are. It's just…" I stopped, knowing that maybe this wasn't a conversation to get into with my Dad. His smile fell a little.

"Just what?"

"Just nothing. Maybe I should talk to mom about all of this," I replied and sat down.

"You know, Rose," he started as he went over to shut my office door, "that I am your father, kind of, and you can tell me anything." He sat down on one of the chairs in front of the desk and leaned on it in front of me. "I'm all ears."

I looked down at my hands in my lap and then looked back up at him. I could tell that he could see the worry in eyes. "What if he leaves me again?" I whispered.

"I really, really don't think he's going to do that," he said and looked really sincere when he did. "I think that he's a really good man and he has really good intentions. Just give him a chance, kay?" I nodded and he leaned over to plant a kiss on my forehead. He actually made me feel a little better and I made a mental note to go to Dad more often with stuff. "Speaking of your mother, I was going to meet her and Tony for lunch later. Why don't you invite the Doctor and the five of us will go. It'll be fun."

"Yeah that sounds great. And the Doctor can meet Tony."

"There's that smile again. That pizza place that you really like? Twelve 'o clock?"

"We'll be there," I said and he walked off, leaving me to my phone. There was a message from the Doctor.

_Me? Get into trouble? Never. _I could practically see the mischievous grin through the phone.

_Somehow I find that hard to believe. _I typed back. _But anyway, wanna meet me for pizza at 12:00? Mom, Dad, and Tony will be there, too. _My phone buzzed again almost immediately.

_A family lunch? Very domestic. _He sent another one about three seconds later. _I'll be there. _I smiled down at my phone.

_Did you just insert yourself into this family, Doctor? What's happening to you? Breakfast and roses one minute, naming yourself a member of the Tyler family the next. I'll be coming home to a carpeted flat pretty soon. _It took him a few more seconds than usual to reply back.

_If I just included myself in the same family as Jackie Tyler, then it was purely by accident. Also, no carpets. Just no. _I found myself smiling again.

_You're not as funny as you think you are. Lunch 12:00, I'll send you directions to the shop. _

_ See you then. Oh, and thank you for the phone, Rose Tyler :) _The Doctor using emoji's. Now that was a first. I smiled and slid the phone back into my pocket before shuffling through some of the paperwork on my desk. I saw that I had a meeting in ten minutes with my crew. I rushed down to the conference room, so anxious to see them all again. I had gotten really close with a lot of them over the past three years and saying goodbye was really hard. I was happy I was back. When I walked in the room, everyone was already there. They started clapping and cheering and giving me hugs left and right. It was all a little overwhelming.

I greeted everyone, smiling and thanking them for working so hard to get me back to the Doctor. None of them asked why I was back and I assumed that Dad had come up with a plan and already told them. I made a note to thank him later. "Agent Tyler," I heard a voice say from behind me. I turned around to see a man and a woman standing there, holding hands. He was tall with shaggy blond hair and a big grin on his face and she shined brightly next to him. I rushed over to greet them, capturing them both in a hug.

"Liam! Ella! I missed you!" They both hugged back and we stood apart, inspecting one another.

"It's only been three days," laughed Liam as Ella hit him on the arm and then gave me another hug. Liam and Ella had already been working for Torchwood when I came. They were in the special teams division and were two of the greatest field work agents. We became close friends really fast and they knew everything about the Doctor and me. I'd tell them the real story of why I'm back later. The two of them and me and Mickey used to hang out all the time. We went on all sorts of missions together. "Forever four," they used to call us. I never liked the name because I had plenty of experience that when someone says forever, it doesn't mean that it's permanent. We had a prime example staring us in the face right in that second.

"Mickey decided to stay?" asked Ella with a sad look in her eyes. I nodded and they nodded, too, none of us talking for a few more minutes.

"Well we're glad that your back," said Liam, breaking the silence. "You'll have to tell us all about it later."

"Yes and when do we get to meet this Doctor of yours?"

"Oh well…" I started but Dad came in and told everyone to find a seat. He sat at one end of the long conference table and I sat at the other. When I was first promoted to this position, it was hard for me to take charge because I had always had the Doctor to do that. Sure, I had had my fair share of telling people what to do, but it was different when they were so willing. I tried to just stay on their level and Dad said I made a great supervisor because of it. "So I think we should get started by welcoming back our very own Agent Tyler." Everyone turned my way and started clapping again. I smiled back at them. "Welcome back, Rose. I'm sure she would all love to tell you about saving the universes but maybe during break. Now, what's on the agenda for today?" Everyone started ruffling through the paperwork that was laid out in front of them.

"Actually, I have something," I said to the room and everyone turned to look at me. I stood up in front of them and was suddenly uncomfortable. It would be weird to tell them about the Doctor coming to work here after we spent so much time trying to get to him. "As most of you know, the Doctor is living in this world right now." I looked at Dad to make sure my story lined up with his and he nodded. "It's a little bit complicated but the point is, he's here and he needs a job. So, starting soon he'll be joining the special teams. I'm sure that he'll be a big help to us all. He knows a lot of languages so translating isn't going to be a problem anymore and he's a lot more knowledgeable than any of us about aliens. He's going to get bored really quickly. He has the attention span of a five year old so try to keep him busy and make him feel welcome." Everyone laughed at the comment and I smiled at sat back down. I'm sure they thought I was joking so they were in for a big shock when he got there.

"Right," said Dad. "So next on the list, we have to discuss the dimension cannon." I put my head down. I knew that we had to disable it. Otherwise, we would rip a hold in the universe and that wasn't good for anybody. It was just hard knowing that once it was gone, I could never go back. We would no longer have the right pieces to build another one and there was no way I could do it without making both universes collapse. I could never see him again. The feeling hit me suddenly and I wasn't sure why. I knew it was the truth but undoing the dimension cannon just set it in stone. "I need a team to disable it by the end of the week. Can anybody…"

"I'll do it," I cut in and everyone turned to look at me. "I mean, I can get a team to do it. Me, Liam, Ella, and I'll get the Doctor to help." Liam and Ella nodded their heads in approval and Dad kept going, talking about some new appearances and energy fluctuations that we needed to look into. The Doctor and I got assigned to three separate missions. Two of them were with Ella and Liam, investigating some changes in the electromagnetism at two spots in the city. The other one was just for the Doctor and me, trying to solve some disappearances that were believed to have alien origin. It was about eleven thirty when we got out of the meeting. I told Ella and Liam that I'd see them later and watched as everybody left except for Dad.

"Hey I'm going to leave in about fifteen minutes and drive down to the shop. Do you want to ride with me?" he asked as he gathered up his things.

"I think I'll just walk," I replied. "Clear my head a little bit. I'll meet you guys there." I went back to my office, dropped off my stuff, grabbed my wallet and headed out. The shop wasn't far from Torchwood so I took my time, taking in the city. I never thought that I would see London again. Well, this London anyway. And it was actually nice to be back. It was a surprisingly clear day and I was walking along looking at some of the shop windows when something caught my eye. Sitting in one of the windows was an arrangement of eye glasses and in the very middle was a pair of black ones, just like the Doctor used to wear. I smiled at them and I knew that I had to get them. I went in, picked them up, picked up a TARDIS blue case for them, and went on my way, the case and glasses in my purse.

When arrived at the pizza place, everybody was already there, sitting outside at a table under a red and white striped umbrella. Tony rushed over when I got there and I bent down to pick him up. Saying goodbye to him was the hardest thing to do. I only had three years with the little guy and I was upset that I would never get the chance to see him grow up. But now I had that chance again and it was brilliant. "Rose!" he said and hugged me. I hugged him back tight and he started talking. "The Doctor told me about his adventures!" His face lit up as he went on about a few adventures that sounded pretty familiar, and even a few that didn't.

"So you're getting along then?" I asked as I sat Tony down in his chair and sat down next to the Doctor.

"Of course we are! I think I may have found a new companion," he said and then winked at Tony, who giggled. "Oh and hello, Rose Tyler."

"Hello, Doctor. Replacing me so quickly?" I said my voice light and happy. "Even after I just got you these?" I pulled the case out of my purse and handed it to the Doctor. He opened it up and jumped out of his seat in excitement. He pulled the glasses on and flashed a smile my way. I grinned back.

"How do I look?"

"You look just like you." He held out his arms for a hug so I stood up and gave him one, relishing in his touch. I could feel myself getting closer and closer to him as the hours ticked by and I tried to push down that nagging feeling that he was going to leave again.

"Thank you," he whispered in my ear before he let go.

"You're welcome," I replied and we both sat down. "So is my toaster still intact?"

"Nope," he said, popping the p and giving me a smile.

I knew it. "And what about the kitchen?"

"Well…I promise to have everything back in order before you get back. Cross my…heart." He took a finger and made a cross over his right side. I started laughing.

"Other side!" He started laughing, too and redid the cross.

"Right. I knew that," he said but it wasn't convincing.

"Sure you did," I mumble and turned back to Mum and Dad who were giving each other glancing looks, with raised eyebrows. Mum smiled at me and I rolled my eyes, taking a sip of the soda they ordered for me. The pizza came and I started dishing out slices to everyone. We ate in silence for a minute before Mum cut in.

"So, Doctor," she started. "What are your plans now that you're here? Are you going to get your own place? Get a job?" I could tell she was testing him and I had the sneaking suspicion that she was thinking the same way I was. What if he leaves again? She had been there for me the first time to pick up all of the pieces and I was sure she didn't want to go through it again.

"Uh…" started the Doctor and gave a sideways glance over at me. My mum could always leave him speechless, that's for sure.

"Well I got him a job at Torchwood. You start soon, by the way. I'm not sure when yet, but we'll get you in as soon as possible." I said looking over at him and he grinned. I knew he was ready to get out of the house. "And he's just going to stay with me. It's not like I don't have the room." I shrugged as if this was no big deal, but my heart started to speed up at the notion. I did want him living with me, that wasn't the issue. We had done it before on the TARDIS and I missed it so much. It was just that him living with me meant I was going to get attached and fast.

"Is he sleeping in the other bedroom?" Mum asked now as the Doctor started choking on his pizza.

"Yes, Mum," I said a rolled my eyes. She just nodded. The rest of lunch was great. The Doctor continued to tell Tony some more stories and we told Dad all about what happened when we saved the world. The Doctor got a little bit sad when we talked about destroying the Daleks but perked up again when he started asking questions about work. I told him about the missions and he smiled at me.

"The Doctor and Rose Tyler. The stuff of legend once again." I smiled back again thinking that it might actually be fun.


End file.
